In the conference room on the twenty-second floor of the Kua Ya Building, the discussion was drawing to a close.

The Terlan Mercenary Group, having flawlessly annihilated the five major powers, possessed more than enough strength to become a large-scale mercenary group—and indeed, they were destined to become one. This was a consensus among many, the inevitable tide of events.

Consequently, although the members of the review committee each had their own background, some even having connections with the three Super Mercenary Groups, none of them held any interest in obstructing the Terlan Mercenary Group’s path forward. It was clearly an impossible task; only fools would engage in such a self-defeating endeavor, and no one capable of serving on the committee was a fool.

The relationship between the Mercenary Alliance and large-scale mercenary groups was symbiotic. Just as large groups needed the Alliance’s influence to safeguard their rights, the Alliance equally needed to court these major players to maintain its own standing.

Mercenary groups as powerful as Terlan were precisely whom the Mercenary Alliance wished to ally with, unlike those groups with only one or two light cruisers that were essentially dispensable.

Therefore, when Yang Ying made it clear he could not submit further documentation, the committee members smoothly brushed the issue aside, as if it were a mere pebble on the roadside, utterly insignificant.

Although they were immensely curious about the true extent of the Terlan Mercenary Group’s power, they understood the principle of choosing the path of least resistance—poking the softer persimmon. When the members sensed that pressing further might anger the unknown Terlan Corporation, they made the wise decision to stop.

After tidying up the areas that could potentially cause friction, Yusuf massaged his temples with both hands, picked up his cup of strong tea from the desk, and took a sip to refresh himself. He had worked late the previous day dealing with the Thirteenth Fleet issue, and that morning, he had only managed to have someone apply minimal makeup to conceal his dark circles before coming to the Alliance building to continue working. Now, after enduring this discussion, he felt utterly exhausted, though thankfully, few agenda items remained.

“There is one last matter,” a committee member spoke up. “What should the procedure be for a small-scale mercenary group to be directly promoted to large-scale?”

“This is simple. I propose that immediately after this meeting concludes, we grant Terlan Mercenary Group the status of a medium-scale group first. After all, upgrading to medium-scale is not as complicated as jumping straight to large-scale.” Yusuf finished speaking and turned to Yang Ying. “Does Commander Yang Ying have any better suggestions?”

Yang Ying shook his head. “I think Committee Member Yusuf’s proposal is excellent. Taking a few days as a medium-scale group before proceeding to large-scale would certainly be a more prudent approach.”

In reality, separating the promotion into two steps or merging them into one made no difference to Yang Ying. They were almost a large-scale group anyway; whether they took one step or two was a secondary concern.

“Since Commander Yang Ying agrees, it is settled then. Promoting to medium-scale only requires approval from any two committee members; a formal vote is unnecessary. I will handle it this time. I wonder which other member is willing to join me?” Yusuf asked, smiling as he looked around.

“I will!” several members said simultaneously.

“Excellent. With so many in agreement, there is no issue,” Yusuf smiled at Yang Ying. “We’ll do it now. I will have someone arrange the paperwork for the medium-scale promotion. Please have someone from Commander Yang Ying’s side accompany my staff.” He gestured to an Alliance official sitting nearby. The official immediately stood up, nodded toward Yang Ying and his delegation across the long table, and left the room.

“No problem,” Yang Ying said, turning to nod at Brian, who also rose and followed the official out of the conference room.

At this point, the other agenda items were concluded, and Yang Ying exchanged some pleasantries with the committee members—utterly pointless small talk about being young and promising, staying vigorous in old age, and how hot the weather was.

About fifteen minutes later, Brian and the official returned to the conference room. The official held a set of certificates and several documents, which he handed to Yusuf.

Yusuf nodded, took them, signed the documents with a fountain pen, stamped the certificate with an official seal, and passed the documents to the committee member next to him. That member repeated Yusuf’s actions, then handed the documents and certificate to Brian.

Although most office work in the twenty-sixth century was automated and networked, paper documents remained prevalent as a minor supplement, given the risk of digital data being tampered with by hackers.

After the second member signed, although his expression remained unchanged, Yang Ying could detect a hint of pleasure in his eyes. The other few members who had voiced their approval wore neutral faces, yet their eyes betrayed a touch of regret.

In their view, being able to sign these documents was an opportunity to lay a foundation of good relations with the newly ascended Terlan Mercenary Group. Committee Member Yusuf was highly respected and already somewhat familiar with Yang Ying, so they couldn’t compete for that privilege. But the member seated next to Yusuf, having the advantage of proximity, had seized the opportunity first, which caused them considerable imbalance.

Brian took the documents and certificates and returned to sit by Yang Ying. Yang Ying stood up and said, “Thank you all for your assistance. If our mercenary group successfully achieves large-scale status in the future, we will certainly dispatch a representative to the Mercenary Alliance. Should any of you require help, feel free to contact our representative; we absolutely will not refuse if we can offer assistance.”

Although these were merely polite words not meant to be taken literally, the committee members were still pleased, as it represented a favorable atmosphere.

Yang Ying felt a sense of realization: not all struggles for gain had to occur amidst drawn swords. One could obtain what one desired across the negotiation table, within a cordial atmosphere.

However, Yang Ying was also acutely aware that this friendly atmosphere was built upon a foundation of formidable military might. Without Terlan Mercenary Group’s previous feat of perfectly obliterating five major powers, why would these committee members bother to treat him cordially?

In the opposite scenario, they would likely have worn stern faces, treating him strictly by the book and demanding documentation for the Terlan Mercenary Group. If he had objected, they would have dismissed him with a curt, “We don't lack one medium-scale mercenary group; take it or leave it,” and then promptly ushered him out of the room.

Fortunately, none of that had happened.

Regardless of his inner thoughts, Yang Ying maintained a smile as he exchanged farewells with the committee members.

Afterward, Yusuf proposed, “Commander Yang Ying, yesterday I was unable to show you around the Alliance building. But now that you are here today, staying a bit later won’t matter. Why don’t I take you on a tour of the historical exhibition hall in the building? What do you think?”

“Will this cause you too much trouble?” Yang Ying asked.

“Not at all. Many guests who come to the Alliance building visit our exhibition hall. I can make that decision myself, as long as we avoid areas with sensitive work units, such as the Strategy Room or Intelligence Division, and so on,” Yusuf explained.

“If that is the case, I must trouble you then. I only hope you don’t overexert yourself,” Yang Ying replied.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. My old bones may be a few years past their prime, but they aren't useless yet. Leading you through the exhibition hall is certainly no problem,” Yusuf chuckled heartily. His physique was already quite tall, and his demeanor remained vigorous; if one ignored the fatigue on his face, he seemed unchanged from when Yang Ying first met him yesterday.

Subsequently, Yusuf took Yang Ying via elevator to the exhibition hall on the second floor. It was a dim room; all windows were sealed. Inside, thousands of miniature holographic projectors emitted sparkling micro-particles, forming dynamic, three-dimensional holographic images.

Each projector corresponded to one holographic scene, varying in size from one to ten square meters. A narrow pathway wound between the displays for visitors to walk through.

According to Yusuf’s introduction, these holograms depicted major events encountered by the Mercenary Alliance since its founding. Among the more than one hundred and ninety holographic displays, the majority showed scenes of warfare.

“The most noteworthy events in our mercenary ranks, the ones that happened most often, are various kinds of combat. Take this one,” Yusuf said, pointing to a ten-square-meter dynamic image in the middle of the room. The background of the image was clearly outer space, showing nearly a hundred large warships, close to a thousand medium and small vessels, and tens of thousands of fighter craft swarming like flies, divided into two factions and locked in fierce engagement.

“This was a massive battle that occurred twenty years ago. The combatants were the Nine Dragons Mercenary Group and the Caribbean Pirates Group,” Yusuf told Yang Ying. “The Caribbean Pirates were in a period of rapid expansion then, and their arrogance was extreme. They blockaded trade routes, attacked space cities—they were utterly lawless. In just one month, over ten space cities were looted.”

Pirates and mercenaries were different. A mercenary’s primary income derived from guarding space cities and executing various contracts, whereas a pirate’s main revenue came from robbery, kidnapping, and extortion—this held true even for the top ten pirate groups who received tribute from cities; they never abandoned their primary trade.

“The wealth accumulated over decades in those space cities was plundered overnight by the pirates. Their fate sent shivers down the spines of other space cities in the asteroid belt. The mercenary groups in those cities swiftly mobilized their combined fleets to prepare for a defense against the Naboo aggression. Not only that, but they also paid a heavy price to hire the three Super Mercenary Groups, hoping to encircle and destroy the Caribbean Pirates,” Yusuf sighed. “However, the three major groups were too proud to coordinate; they fought independently, dividing the asteroid belt into three sectors, each responsible for one area.”

“And the result was that Naboo found the Nine Dragons Mercenary Group?” Yang Ying inquired.

“Precisely so. Naboo led the main force in a surprise attack on Nine Dragons. The battle raged for a full day, with losses around a one-to-three ratio. Nine Dragons was utterly defeated. When the remnants of their army and Caesar arrived to offer support, they only saw the decimated Nine Dragons forces. The Caribbean contingent had already retreated,” Yusuf recounted, slightly out of breath. “Because of this battle, Naboo became known as the Pirate King, and Nine Dragons’ ranking dropped below Caesar’s.”